Tales from the Sohoku Road Racing Club: Tragedy at the Tournament
by Die Einzelganger
Summary: Yowamushi Pedal AU where instead of joining Hakone Academy, Arakita Yasutomo enrolled in Sohoku High School, where he turned the lives of everyone around him upside down - for better or for worse. Depends on who you ask and at what time, really, and it just so happens that Onoda and Naruko decided to ask Makishima and Tadokoro. (Originally posted on Ao3.) Part 7 of this AU.
1. I

Two days after Yuusuke's birthday, Onoda and Naruko were somewhat cordially invited to his house after school to watch the Hakone Road Relay. Jin had taped the race back in January with the Inter-high's first stage in mind, and now the time had come to study the course with the qualifying first-years, who discovered to their surprise that Yasutomo and Kinjou were completely absent from the screening. Once they retired, or rather were banished to Yuusuke's room, it was just the four of them, and a large, ominous black plastic packet on the table, resting alongside a razor-sharp utility knife.

* * *

"Makishima-san..?" mumbled Onoda, eyes large. "Is that—"

"The secret hidden behind the clubroom poster?" offered Yuusuke. "It is, sho."

"I don't know what that thing is, but it gives me the creeps, Onoda-kun," Naruko grimaced at the packet. "I bet it's something _super gross!"_

"Well, I guess it's kind of gross, sho," shrugged Yuusuke. Naruko's hair bristled.

"Um.. may I ask you something?" Onoda raised his hand. "Why aren't Arakita-san and Kinjou-san here today? Shouldn't they watch the tape, too?"

"They've already memorized it," replied Jin.

"But more importantly," Yuusuke tapped the packet, "what's in here pertains to them, sho."

* * *

Yuusuke proceeded to slash the packet open, from whence he first produced a frame holding two green tags with the number 74 on them.

"What're _these?"_ Naruko received it with reverent looks.

"The envy of all sprinters," smirked Jin. "Every Inter-high stage has a sprinter checkpoint, and whoever passes it first is awarded green sprinter tags."

Naruko whistled. "Did you win these, old man?"

Jin shook his head.

"Nope. _Arakita_ won them."

" _You're kidding!_ But never mind that! If these things really are awards, then why would you hide them?!"

"Because Yasutomo threw them in the trash, sho," sighed Yuusuke.

* * *

" _Why?!"_ pleaded Naruko as Yuusuke reached inside the packet again and pulled out two vacuum-sealed Sohoku jerseys, handing them to his juniors. At first glance, they merely looked weather-beaten, but on closer inspection, both were blotched a sickly rust-brown, and one jersey's sleeves had been completely mangled.

"The one with the ruined sleeves was Yasutomo's, and the other was Kinjou's, sho," pointed Yuusuke.

Onoda's hands trembled over the former. "A-Arakita-san's.. but, _why?"_

Naruko tore his eyes away from the bloodstain on Kinjou's jersey, face blanched.

" _What the…_ just what happened at last year's Inter-high..?"

Yuusuke and Jin exchanged weary glances.

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

To make sure Yasutomo and Kinjou would be absent, Yuusuke told Sugimoto to distract the former with requests for joint practice on the short-distance course, while Jin asked Koga to talk to Kinjou about his plans and desired road racer specs. Sugimoto's legs were ready to fall off by the time he was done, and when he complained that he did very well and deserved to be called "-chan" for his efforts, Yasutomo laughed so hard he nearly fell off his Bianche.

He might have let himself be bribed with a Bepsi and might have called his plucky junior Sugi-chan. There were no witnesses to confirm this, but Sugimoto insists it happened, and it was amazing.


	2. II

As if fate sought to compensate the four riders for last year's hellish ordeal, their second-year training camp brought as fair results as they had hoped. Just as Yasutomo had prophesied, Kinjou aced the menu and earned himself the number one tag, while Yasutomo came in third, and Jin and Yuusuke nabbed fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Having made the roster, and pleased to hear that the combined efforts of last year's team brought Sohoku to seventh place out of twenty, all they had to do now was announce their goals for the biggest tournament of their lives.

Kinjou had but one objective, terrifying in its simplicity: overall victory for Sohoku. Jin talked of collecting green sprinter tags, and Yuusuke of relishing his rivalry by besting Toudou in the mountains, until the seniors could not help but smile when Yasutomo proudly declared his own dream, which was to take Kinjou to the goal and finish second.

"Man, they pissed me off," Yasutomo grumbled to Yuusuke once they found themselves alone during practice that afternoon. "What was so funny, huh?"

"Well, not _funny_ per se," began Yuusuke, "but everyone else had a goal that equaled first place, sho. A green sprinter tag, overall victory for Sohoku, beating Toudou to the peak.. compared to that, second place just doesn't sound very grand, sho…"

Yasutomo stared, then shook his head.

"You got it all wrong, Yuusuke," he said gently. "Second place _is_ first place when you're an assistant. We're not meant to shine, but that doesn't mean I don't have any pride. You remember the Nagatoroyama Hill Climb..?"

"How could I ever forget, sho!" Yuusuke flushed a happy pink. Yasutomo smiled.

"What we did that day made me want to become an assistant, Yuusuke. I could tell when I got you out of the pack and launched you that you felt like you were on top of the world, and I remember thinking, _Hey,_ _ **I**_ _did that._ I trained and practiced my ass off so I could get you a head start, and when you disappeared way ahead of everyone, I felt so proud of myself it was unreal."

Yuusuke stared at him mesmerized. Yasutomo lowered his eyes.

"But.. I do have a dream I couldn't share with the others," he rubbed his nose. "Wanna hear my real dream?"

Yuusuke nodded fervently. Yasutomo broke into a lopsided grin.

"After Kinjou takes first place and wins the Inter-high, I wanna fall back to you and take you to the finish line, arm in arm like a gross couple."

Yuusuke snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, sho!"

" _I'm serious, dammit!_ I wanna glue you to my hip, Yuusuke! I wanna be synchronized riders with you! So what do you say?"

After a moment of amused hesitation, Yuusuke pulled closer and reached out an arm, placing it tentatively over Yasutomo's back.

"So, like this, sho..?" he flushed crimson. Yasutomo cracked a grin hard enough to ache.

"Yeah! _Exactly!"_ he threw out his own arm, bonking their helmets together.

* * *

Except some dreams don't come true, and of all people, Yasutomo should have known that.

On the first day, with his assistance, Yuusuke challenged Toudou and earned himself the fastest climber award. They then worked hard to finish close to the front, so close, Yasutomo had no doubts about Kinjou's victory when he launched him on the second day, some eight kilometers from the goal.

 _I can't rest just yet, though,_ he rubbed his nose. _Gotta hurry so he can have me tomorrow!_

And then he turned another corner with hardly two kilometers remaining, and tomorrowbecame _right now_ as he spotted a battered Sohoku jersey.

" _Kinjou!_ " Yasutomo pulled to his left. "What happened?!"

"Arakita.. I fell…" heaved Kinjou. "I'm sorry…"

" _You're bleeding!_ _**Fuck!"**_

"Go…" Kinjou wiped his drained face. "It's.. a _real_ race… we can't.. give up now…"

A moment later, Yasutomo anchored Kinjou to his side.

"You're right, Kinjou," he growled as he raised his cadence. "So hang on, I'll take you!"

" _No.._ leave me… I'll just.. hold you back..!"

" _Shut up, dumbass!_ You're _injured!_ I'm not gonna leave you!"

"Arakita.. _please…"_

"Save your breath, Kinjou," hissed Yasutomo. "Unless your name's Makishima Yuusuke, you can't tell me what to do! Don't worry, though.. I'll go as fast as I can! I'll jam you across the finish line, and get you to a doctor!"

"Thank you.." Kinjou hung his head. "You're too soft.. but I'm glad we're teammates.. Arakita…"

To balance Kinjou's weight and broken road racer, Yasutomo compromised speed, teeth gritted as several riders passed them before they made eight and ninth place. Kinjou was soon rushed to an ambulance and his road racer placed in Koga's care, leaving Yasutomo idle and frustrated.

" _ **FUCK!**_ We were _SO_ _**CLOSE!"**_ he bashed his fists against the ground, then froze as a shadow spilled over him - Fukutomi Juichi's.

"You're from Hakone Academy.." murmured Yasutomo. "You were riding in the front with Kinjou.."

"I'm sorry," Fukutomi bowed to him. "I did something terrible. When Kinjou passed me, I reached out without thinking and grabbed his jersey. We both fell because of my weakness.. There were only two kilometers left…"

Yasutomo's eyes widened.

"You _FUCKING_ _ **BASTARD!"**_ he slammed a foot into Fukutomi's shoulder and sent him hurtling across the ground, only to close the distance in the blink of an eye and seize him by his collar, wrenching the fabric. Fukutomi hung his head.

"I'm sorry… For what I did, I intend to withdraw from tomorrow's race—"

" _ **WALK HOME FOR ALL I CARE!"**_ Yasutomo jolted him, face convulsing. _**"Who do you think you are, huh?!**_ You're so proud and full of yourself, _Hakogaku,_ but the moment someone truly great comes along, someone _worth chasing,_ _**you throw a tantrum and break them?!**_ _**You realize what you've done?! That was our only ace!**_ _ **YOU ROBBED US! YOU TOOK MY DREAM FROM ME!"**_

Tears rolled down Fukutomi's face. Yasutomo trembled.

" _ **STOP CRYING SO I CAN KILL YOU!"**_ he shoved Fukutomi, not realizing he was crying, too.

* * *

On that evening of despair, Sohoku received an unexpected visitor.

"Toudou..!" Yuusuke greeted him in the hall. "What are _you_ doing here, sho?"

"I came on behalf of Hakone Academy to deliver a message, Maki-chan," explained Toudou as Yasutomo caught up, eyes narrowed. Toudou cleared his throat.

"First, Fukutomi sends his apologies again. He wanted to come with me, but considering what happened this afternoon," Toudou's eyes flitted to Yasutomo, "I advised against it."

"Aww, you're so _smart,"_ quipped Yasutomo, his tone dry. Yuusuke gave him a look. Toudou seemed unfazed.

"Fuku asked to retire, but our seniors denied his request, so when you see him riding tomorrow, know that he had every intention of keeping his word."

" _Big fucking deal,"_ Yasutomo bared his teeth. "If he was so intent, he could have just ripped up his tags! You ever heard of taking a moral stance, Toudou? _Huh?_ A shred of fucking _decency,_ you ever heard of _that?"_

"Yasutomo..!" breathed Yuusuke. Toudou's brow twitched.

"So you would abandon your team in his place?"

"Tell you what, Toudou," Yasutomo cocked his head. "The day I stoop so low that I injure another team's ace, I'll tell you for sure, but if you were wondering, whenever I'm right, my seniors' words don't mean _jackshit to me!"_

" _Yasutomo!_ " hissed Yuusuke. Toudou took a deep breath.

"One more thing, then. Hakone Academy has a proposition for you, Arakita."

" _Haah..?"_ Yasutomo scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"We talked to our seniors, and we understand you'll be riding in the front alone."

"No thanks to _you!"_

" _The point is,"_ Toudou raised his voice, "if you catch up with us, Hakone Academy has agreed to cooperate with you."

" _Haaah?!"_

"You heard me," Toudou withstood his glare. "You can join our train, and we'll pull you for as long as possible."

Yuusuke gasped in hope, but Yasutomo broke into rancid laughter.

"Oh? _Will you,_ Toudou? For as long as possible? What, are you gonna take me to the finish line? Is that what you're saying, that you'll get me through every stage and give me a chance to dethrone your lot? How naive are you to think I'll fall for that!"

"This is our offer, Arakita," Toudou furrowed his brow. "Take it, or leave it."

"You're damn right I'll leave it! _**You're fucking nuts!"**_ Yasutomo's voice shot through the roof even as Yuusuke elbowed him in the side. _"You don't give a shit about Sohoku!_ You're just trying to wipe your hands clean and you think I'm too stupid to know a trap when I see one! How do I know you're not gonna injure me too, huh?! Is that why that stone-faced bastard's staying on the team, _'cause he has experience now?!"_

" _YASUTOMO!"_ snapped Yuusuke. Opposite them, Toudou heaved a sigh.

"I see it's no use talking to you, Arakita," he said at last, his expression unreadable. "I'll go now.. Call you later, Maki-chan."

And with that, Toudou turned to leave, composed until the bitter end.

* * *

The moment Toudou disappeared, Yuusuke turned on Yasutomo, expression livid.

" _That was uncalled for, sho,"_ he hissed through gritted teeth. Yasutomo stared at him bewildered, blood rumbling in his ears.

"Uncalled for? _Uncalled for?!_ _ **That bastard wrecking Kinjou was uncalled for!"**_

"Toudou came to apologize and he's just offered you _a chance to win—"_

"It's a _**TRAP!"**_ snapped Yasutomo. "And now that my hopes and dreams have been shattered, I'm not gonna walk into it _just because you think the sun shines out of Toudou's ass!_ You think he really gives a shit about us when it's his team against ours?! _OPEN YOUR EYES!"_

Yuusuke paled. Yasutomo snarled.

" _I can't believe you!_ You think we've got some noble rivalry going on?! We're not opponents to Hakogaku, we're _pests_ to them, Yuusuke! They stomped our ace because he got in the way, and without Kinjou, we can't win anymore, Toudou's help or not, so I'm not gonna sacrifice myself and end up next to him _just so we don't hurt your_ _ **precious rival's feelings!"**_

Yuusuke's face froze in a grimace.

"…What about _my_ feelings then? Or _Sohoku's_ feelings, sho?" he forced out the words, a storm brewing in his eyes. "You care about _those,_ _you selfish_ _ **jackass?!"**_

Silence blared. Yasutomo's hands clenched.

" _Don't call me that,"_ he breathed.

"Or _what?"_ retorted Yuusuke, his throat bobbing, and Yasutomo's eyes glazed over as implied alternatives flashed through his mind. His shoulders slumped, hands growing limp by his thighs.

"Nothing," he said at last, hollow and quiet. Yuusuke hesitated, but after a pause, tense as wires, he brushed past Yasutomo and hurried down the hall, pace quickening as Yasutomo rushed after him.

"Alright, _alright,_ _ **I'm sorry!"**_ he called out, tone exasperated. "What more do you want from me?!"

Yuusuke stopped in his tracks. His shoulders stiffened, and when he turned around, Yasutomo's chest grew cold.

"I want you to do everything to win tomorrow, sho," said Yuusuke, his expression inexorable. "If it takes swallowing your pride and riding with Hakone Academy, then do it. Even if it takes every ounce of your strength, if it takes every drop of sweat and blood you've got, _do it,_ because if you don't, then Kinjou will have suffered for nothing, and I'll never forgive you for being a _selfish coward,_ sho."

He then pushed forward on trembling legs, leaving a stunned Yasutomo behind, and all but collapsed on his futon in the temporary safety of the second-years' room.

"Makishima..? What happened? You look awful," mumbled Jin. "You're not ill, are you?"

Yuusuke shook his head, mouth sagging.

"I'm gonna call Toudou, sho," he grabbed his phone, then slipped onto the terrace, pulling the door shut behind him. Jin scratched his head.

Alone again, he sat down and waited for Yasutomo to come and supply the explanation Yuusuke refused to give, but he waited in vain. Unable to face Yuusuke, Yasutomo stepped outside, then mounted his Bianche and fled, clad in nothing but his night shirt and shorts.

* * *

"Yo, Kinjou.." Yasutomo sank down by his friend's hospital bed fifteen minutes later, placing a cold Pocari Sweat on his nightstand. "It's me.. your local asshole."

Kinjou made an effort to prop himself on his elbows. Yasutomo waved a hand.

"Don't bother. You probably hurt like hell. I just wanna run my mouth, and I have no one else to turn to."

Kinjou sank back onto his pillow and hummed encouragingly. Yasutomo sighed.

"I don't know what to do, Kinjou. Toudou just came over to tell me I could join the Hakogaku train tomorrow, but it's clearly a trap. There's no way they're gonna pull me for long, and if I cling to them, I just risk getting injured once they had enough of me… And now Yuusuke's mad at me too, and thinks I'm a selfish coward for not accepting Toudou's offer."

He clutched his head, fingers clawing at his hair. _"What am I gonna do..?"_

Kinjou paused in thought. His expression softened.

"Arakita.. remember what you said earlier today?"

"I said a lot of shit, so you gotta be more specific here."

"You told me that only Makishima Yuusuke could tell you what to do. Well, what did he tell you?"

Yasutomo froze.

"…He told me to take Toudou's offer, and win."

"Then do that."

"But, _Kinjou,_ I'm just an _assistant!_ And I'll be riding alone tomorrow! There's no guarantee the others will catch up to me!"

"And that's why you have to take your chance, Arakita," concluded Kinjou. "Riding with Hakone Academy means you'll be in the front, where Sohoku needs to be. You're good at thinking on your feet. I'm confident you'll find a way to outsmart them."

"…At least _someone_ acknowledged it's a risky setup, and not just me being a nasty jerk."

"It's unreasonable to think Hakone Academy would pull you until the end, but if you latch on and don't let go, they'll have no other choice."

"I'm not the Snake of the Stone Path, Kinjou."

"You're not," smiled Kinjou. "You're the Daredevil of Sohoku, and right now, it's a daredevil we need to win, Arakita."

Yasutomo scoffed. "You really think I can win..?"

Kinjou paused.

"Do you remember the Nagatoroyama Hill Climb?"

" _Do I ever!_ I ended up a complete mess, but I did get Yuusuke in first place, didn't I? I only finished thirty-seventh, though…"

"That didn't matter, Arakita," said Kinjou, "because when I saw you with your fist in the air, even though I soon passed you, all I could think of was how you had beaten us all."

Yasutomo stared at him wide-eyed. Kinjou's face hardened.

"Be that rider tomorrow. Be the hero Makishima and Sohoku needs."

Yasutomo's eyes fell.

"Kinjou… can I stay here?"

"You'll need all the rest you can get. Go back to the inn."

"I can't."

"You're scared to face Makishima?"

"I'm _terrified."_

"Go back anyway. Face your fears, and never give up."

Yasutomo groaned and bonked his head against the bed's rail, willpower fading.

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

Since this telling of the second-year Inter-high comes from the racing third-years, and I purposefully kept things vague in Part 4 of this AU series, I'll supply the contemporary first-years' (now second-years') experiences in the notes.

The four of them spent most of their time in the various feed zones, or the road between the various stages and said feed zones. While Teshima, Aoyagi, and Yaniguchi enjoyed themselves, Koga not so silently cursed Yasutomo for two days straight, wishing something unpleasant would happen to him for not allowing Koga to attend as a member of the team. His grudge didn't affect the quality of his maintenance work at all, but Arakita could smell his anger all over his road racer. Koga then experienced crippling guilt as karma seemed to rebound on the second day and Yasutomo rode in with an injured Kinjou.

Yasutomo spent the rest of the day fuming over Hakogaku, but even though everyone agreed that Fukutomi was the one at fault, Koga still held onto his grudge against Yasutomo for not letting him become a member of the team so Koga could take over as the ace in Kinjou's absence. Teshima told him it was a good thing because Koga's knee had just barely healed, and he sounded like he would do something desperate if he had the chance. Koga ignored him for the rest of the evening, half angry and half miserable at the idea that he might have jinxed Sohoku by wishing misfortune on Yasutomo, who was just as, if not infinitely more upset over Kinjou, and now carried Sohoku's hopes on his shoulders.


	3. III

"Kinjou-san.. Arakita-san.." mumbled Onoda, his eyes drawn to Kinjou's jersey as Naruko forced himself to look away from it.

"The _Snake of the Stone Path_ and the _Daredevil of Sohoku,"_ he murmured. "How did they get such flashy nicknames?"

"A journalist called Yasutomo a daredevil for his stunt at the Nagatoroyama Hill Climb, sho," explained Yuusuke. "Now whenever he's mentioned in articles, they use that nickname, sho."

" _So cool..!"_ breathed Naruko and Onoda, the latter frowning in concern. "I'm sorry you had a fight, though.. did you manage to make up when Arakita-san came back?"

"Sadly not, sho," sighed Yuusuke.

* * *

" _Yeah.." "Alright, sho.." "Thanks again, Toudou. I'll see you tomorrow, sho," Yuusuke pressed_ End Call, _then turned to Jin._

" _Toudou said their offer still stands. If Yasutomo catches up, they'll pull him along, sho."_

 _Jin hummed. Yuusuke took a deep breath._

" _Tadokorocchi..? I'm going to sleep now, sho. I'm a deep sleeper, too, so, don't bother trying to wake me up, okay?" his hands clenched by his thighs. Jin gave him a look._

" _Are you saying what I think you're saying, Makishima?"_

 _Yuusuke nodded, expression wobbly._

" _Don't worry, then," Jin gave him a reassuring smile, "just leave everything to me."_

* * *

 _When Yasutomo finally returned to their room, Jin bounded over with a forced grin, but before he could so much as make a sound, Yasutomo slapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head, his eyes on Yuusuke's motionless back._

"Humiliate him and I'll break you," _he hissed. Jin surrendered, then watched with pained concern as Yasutomo kneeled down by Yuusuke's side, planting a shadow of a kiss in his hair._

" _Sleep well, Yuusuke. Love you," he mouthed the words, then dragged his futon to the other side of the room and curled up, buried in blankets and regret._

* * *

"Ah, I see..!" breathed Onoda, moved beyond expression. "You tried to do what Arakita-san did during your first training camp, but he was too considerate to let Tadokoro-san expose you… Arakita-san is so _nice.."_

"He's too soft-hearted, sho," sighed Yuusuke. Jin nodded.

"And you didn't make up…"

"Well… after Tadokorocchi fell asleep, I did bring my futon over and tried to spoon Yasutomo, but he must've been asleep by then because he didn't react at all, sho.."

"So that's how you got on the other side," muttered Jin.

"Yeah.. and by the time we woke up, Yasutomo was gone, sho…"

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

Yasutomo was still awake when Yuusuke put his arm around him and curled close, but was too ashamed of himself to react. He had set an early alarm and got up at dawn just to avoid his teammates until the end of the race, as he had promised himself that he would make up for yesterday's outburst by taking first place for Sohoku, and only face Yuusuke once he became champion.

While they were trying to reach Yasutomo, Yuusuke received a call from Kinjou, who told him not to worry, because "Arakita has made up his mind, and he will be at the starting line, ready to fight for Sohoku." He didn't elaborate, but Yuusuke had a hunch as to what might have happened, and thanked Kinjou for being there for his wayward assistant.

Koga was the only person to see Yasutomo in the morning, because he got up early to perform a last-minute check of everyone's road racers. While he still felt bitter over not being allowed to take over in Kinjou's place, he took special care to oil and tune the Bianche so their last hope would stand a fighting chance. When Yasutomo arrived to fetch his road racer, Koga asked him to carry his and Kinjou-san's wishes to the finish line. Yasutomo nodded, then said, "I know you still hate me, Koga, but I got no regrets anymore. If this race gets any worse, better me than you." Koga didn't reply, but the moment Yasutomo left, he collapsed into his chair, wishing he had never come at all if all he did was bring bad luck to his hard-working, determined seniors.


	4. IV

The next morning, Yasutomo joined the starting line early, pulling up just behind Toudou.

"Toudou.." he whispered. The other turned around. "If your offer still stands, I'll take it."

"Of course it does," Toudou quirked a brow. "I couldn't refuse after Maki-chan begged me to give you another chance!"

"He _what..?"_ blurted Yasutomo. Toudou stared.

"On the phone. You didn't know?"

"We uh.. we didn't talk, after a while…"

Toudou's eyes narrowed.

"You know, it's _funny,_ Arakita," his tone grew cold. "Maki-chan thinks the world of you, but I've never seen you be anything but a horrible brute to everyone. God knows I've tried, but I don't understand it at all."

For once, Yasutomo had nothing to say. He merely took a deep breath, expression vacant, and when his moment came, he broke into a sprint and eventually fell in with Hakone Academy.

They advanced rapidly towards and through the mountains, Toudou and another climber drafting in rotation to throw off the pack, but their cuckoo endured, until they passed the feed zone, and a senior turned back to Yasutomo.

"Your turn to pull for us, Sohoku. Get us past the next checkpoint as fast as you can, and then you can rest your legs."

Yasutomo's brow furrowed. "You're letting me take the checkpoint..?"

" _Is there a problem?"_ came the caustic reply. Yasutomo set his jaws.

"No problem…" he muttered as he switched with Fukutomi, who fell to the back, just behind Toudou. Yasutomo arched his back and raised his cadence, then flinched as he felt a wheel brush against his.

"I said, _as fast as you can,"_ the senior repeated. Yasutomo's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Alright," he rose away from his saddle. "Have it your way…"

 _You'll regret toying with me, Hakogaku..!_

As he broke into a dynamic all-out sprint, the world faded on all sides and Hakone Academy fell silent, all their energies focused on keeping up with Yasutomo's turbulent pace. In the back, Fukutomi gripped his handlebars so hard his fingers were growing numb.

 _What is this relentless pull… so this is the man that carried you to the front, Kinjou Shingo! I see what you meant now when you said you weren't fighting with your strength alone… you were assured by your teammate's powerful assist..!_

"Arakita.. Yasutomo…" he whispered in reverie, unheard by anyone except Toudou, who glanced from his teammate to Yasutomo's back, and for the first time caught a glimpse of the raw charisma that had captivated his rival.

As for Yuusuke, he screeched like an exuberant child the moment the results of the second checkpoint were revealed and he spotted Yasutomo's name on top, yesterday's bitterness ripped from his heart as though it had been but a fleeting nightmare.

"He took the checkpoint! _I knew he would, sho!"_ he grinned at Jin, who gave an awkward laugh and lowered his eyes, unsure if Yasutomo cared about those green sprinter tags at all, and absolutely certain Sohoku's lead was just too good to last.

* * *

As soon as Yasutomo bolted past the checkpoint, Hakone Academy's sprinters tensed in wait for him to drop as fatigue and his momentary victory sank in, but their cue never arrived. Instead, they watched in consternation and disbelief as Yasutomo ignored the gesture they had begrudgingly bestowed on him, and his own limits as a sprinter, and swerved to the left until he shadowed the railing.

 _Here I go, Yuusuke…_ Yasutomo thought with a manic grin as his mind, too, fell into a singular track, fast and furious. _You want sweat and blood?_ _ **I'll spill all of it!**_

" _ **CATCH ME WHEN I'M DEAD, HAKOGAKU!"**_

" _You're kidding!"_ cried one of the seniors. _**"After him! Don't let Sohoku get away!"**_

They kicked and surged after the renegade, dropping rider after exhausted rider on their way, but as if magnetized by the railing, Yasutomo continued to cut corners and soar ahead in growing defiance, until they entered the final slopes, and the Mountain God switched over to subdue him at last.

 _Sorry, Arakita…_ Toudou poised himself in deadly silence. _No matter what tricks you pull, you're no match for me on a climb!_

Up ahead, Yasutomo grabbed his last bottle and hurled it across the road, where it exploded in a brilliant splash of water and steam against the hot concrete. Toudou's eyes widened.

 _What are you doing?! That thing was full!_

 _ **Why didn't you use it?!**_

Toudou twitched as he realized his own pace had slackened, but by the time he regained his speed, Yasutomo lurched over his front wheel and grabbed his lower handlebars, sinking to the front of his seat just enough for added support.

 _Nothing weighs me down anymore.._ _ **Now**_ _ **eat my sprint climb's dust!**_

With a frantic kick, Yasutomo burst forward along the railing, feeling lighter and lighter as his form took its toll and drained his oxygen. White blur strangled his vision, but Yasutomo glued his jaws shut and drew deep breaths through his nose to aid his failing eyes, until his strained nostrils frothed crimson and blood poured down his chin, forcing his mouth open again.

The world drowned. Rhythmic, high-pitched static filled Yasutomo's ears.

 _Not now..!_ _ **FUCK! I can't sense them anymore!**_ he whipped his head around, his hands shaking over his handlebars.

 _No, no, stay calm, Yasutomo! I'm still in the lead.. I can win this thing as long as I follow the course.._ _ **SO WHERE IS IT?!**_

In his desperation, he swerved to the left until he slammed into the railing, then pressed to it, grinding against the metal. Soon, faint cheering reached his ringing ears.

 _The crowd! I'm almost there!_

 _I'm gonna do it!_ _ **I'm gonna win, Yuusuke!**_

 _ **Any second now!**_ he spurred himself as he peeled, burned, and bled over the spectators' barrier.

 **COME ON!** _**HOW MUCH LONGER?!**_

" _ **HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS FUCKING COURSE?!"**_

" _Arakita-san! The goal—"_

The next moment, Yasutomo's Bianche veered like a frightened horse as his wheel grazed the left goalpost. The crowd gasped, then fell silent.

* * *

As he was thrown off balance, Yasutomo instinctively careened to the right, only to crash into the opposite barrier beyond the goal and scrape against it, then skid and collapse as his legs gave out under his plummeting road racer.

For a moment, pure white heat poured over his senses. Overhead, the loudspeakers clicked.

" _In sixth place, Sohoku contestant number Seventy-Four, Arakita Yasutomo!"_

Yasutomo's jaw unhinged.

 _Sixth place..?_

 _ **Sixth place..?**_

 _But I was in the lead! I got away, so_ _ **why..?**_

 _Kinjou.._

 _ **Yuusuke…**_

 _This isn't what we wanted,_ _ **so why..?**_

 _Why did you make me do it..?_

 _ **What's the use of trying IF I'M JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH?!**_

The thought swelled into an echo in his head and tore through him in an excruciated howl, startling Shiraiwa into backing away from him. As Koga dragged the busted Bianche out of the way, Shiraiwa stepped closer again and took his junior's wrist, flinching as Yasutomo yanked it back.

" _ **DON'T TOUCH ME!"**_ he screamed as pain flooded him in waves. _"LEAVE ME! I WANT TO_ _ **DIE!"**_

He tensed, then shifted to his aching knees, right hand grasping for the barrier.

"But not before I kill.. that stone-faced _bastard.._ _ **for everything he put Sohoku through..!"**_

Yasutomo lurched to his feet and shambled forward blindly, left hand wiping at his clogged nose.

"Where are you..?!"

" _Arakita!"_

 _ **Toudou…**_ Yasutomo scoffed and pushed forward. _Don't you worry… Yuusuke likes you, so I won't hurt you… I want…_

He bumped against something firm, yet supple enough to be human. Yasutomo swabbed his nose, sniffed the obstacle, then bared his stained teeth in triumph.

" _Found you.."_ his bleak gaze crawled higher, not quite reaching Fukutomi's eyes.

"You need medical assistance, Arakita…" stammered Toudou to his left, his heart hammering as he tried to trace Maki-chan's boyfriend in the battered, senseless monster before them. Beside him, Fukutomi stood hypnotized, unable to move even as Yasutomo's left hand fumbled its way to his throat and tightened over his jaw, smearing it with blood.

" _Hold still.."_ whispered Yasutomo as his trembling right hand clenched in the air. Toudou's jaw fell.

The next moment, Shiraiwa tackled Yasutomo from behind and pinned his arms to his sides, while Tomita took advantage of his confusion to grab him by the legs.

" _ **SHI-RAI-WAAA!"**_ Yasutomo flailed in their hold until his leg slipped free and he rammed his foot into Tomita's stomach, knocking him to the ground. _**"LET GO OF ME!**_ _I ALMOST HAD HIM!_ _ **I'LL KILL YOU! SHIIIRAIWAAA!"**_

Another senior pulled up Tomita and they seized a leg each, and Toudou watched horrified as the three of them hauled a thrashing, howling Yasutomo away, nearly dropping him again on their way to the first-aid tent.

"I can't believe it.." whispered Toudou, a hand pressed to his jolting heart. "Arakita's more dead than alive, and they could just barely restrain him! He's _terrifying!"_

Fukutomi blinked, then wiped his jaw, staring silently at the blood on his fingers.

"Yes," he said at last. "Arakita Yasutomo.. is _strong…"_

* * *

While Yasutomo fought blood, tooth and nail for Sohoku's victory, Yuusuke and Jin remained in the confines of the pack. The end results reached them on the flats, and unsure what to make of them, they rode on with mixed feelings until they finally crumbled into the arms of their supportive juniors.

"Never mind that, sho," Yuusuke declined Yaniguchi's water bottle. "Where's Yasutomo?"

Teshima and Aoyagi exchanged worried glances, then pointed to the tent.

"Thanks, sho," Yuusuke turned around, to see Shiraiwa step outside, complexion sickly and his sleeves stained crimson.

"Brace yourself, Makishima," he said quietly. "It's not a pretty sight."

Yuusuke's blood ran cold.

He rushed inside and found Yasutomo on a stretcher in the back, heavily sedated and swathed in bandages. A wet compress covered his eyes, and too afraid to remove it, Yuusuke held his breath and held out his hand to Yasutomo's nose.

His nostrils quivered. Yasutomo gritted his teeth, and Yuusuke watched, heart clenched, as tears rolled down from beneath the compress.

"You finished in the _top five percent, sho,"_ Yuusuke's voice quivered as he cupped Yasutomo's cheeks. "You're my hero… _I'm so proud of you, sho..!"_

He tired for a kiss next, but his lips touched drained gums and viscid enamel. Yuusuke's eyes widened.

"You're dried out.. Hold on, I'll get you a drink, sho!"

He rushed to the entrance calling for Yaniguchi and promptly collided with someone, but as Yuusuke mumbled his apologies, his eyes fell on a Pocari Sweat and a paper-wrapped straw in the other's hand.

"Mind if I take these? _Thanks, sho!"_ he snatched them and whirled around, the tent flapping closed on a baffled Toudou.

" _Maki-chan?!"_ he stammered, and when his shock wore off, he followed Yuusuke inside to find him on a stool in the back, the wrapper still between his teeth as Yuusuke dunked the straw into the bottle. He pulled the compress off Yasutomo's eyes and lifted his head, cradled on Yuusuke's left arm, then held the bottle to his mouth.

"Yasutomo? I need you to drink this, sho."

Yasutomo's lips twitched. Yuusuke shook his head.

"No, it's not Bepsi. It's Pocari Sweat," he sighed. "I swear I'll get you a Bepsi next. _Please,_ sho.."

With some difficulty, Yasutomo nipped down on the straw and sipped away. Every now and again he paused, his breath labored, but prevailed until nothing came but grating slurps of air. Yuusuke kissed his temple, lowered him back onto the stretcher, then rose from his seat, only to flop back the moment he noticed he wasn't alone.

"Oh, Toudou. Sorry, I didn't see you there, sho.." he scratched his head, pushing the now empty bottle onto the table beside them. "Can you do me a favor and get Yasutomo a Bepsi? A cold one, sho," he added, glancing back. Toudou stared at him speechless.

"Sure.. Maki-chan…" he mumbled as he turned around dazed, then back again, to leave the Pocari Sweat he had bought for himself on the nearest table.

* * *

Toudou soon returned with a Bepsi and another Pocari Sweat, complete with a new straw. He reached out both, but Yuusuke only took the Bepsi, recycling the straw from the empty bottle.

"Here's your Bepsi, _Your Majesty,"_ he teased, relieved at Yasutomo's garbled laughter, who sipped it slower than before, and stopped halfway.

"Enough, sho?"

Yasutomo hummed. Yuusuke kissed his temple again, then set down the bottle and lowered Yasutomo's head.

"Rest now, okay? I love you so much, sho," he put the wet compress back on, one hand stroking Yasutomo's forehead until his breathing softened and his head tipped to the side, features finally calm.

A few feet away, Toudou cleared his throat.

"You know.. it's _funny,_ Maki-chan…" he began, voice strangled and his hands tightening around the unclaimed bottle. "Everyone at Hakone Academy looked picture perfect when we crossed the finish line. We made it without breaking a sweat, the very image of reigning champions. I have every right to be proud of placing second, and I'm certain many envy me… yet I'm insanely envious right now, Maki-chan, and of all people, I'm envious of an ugly, half-dead jerk who came in sixth place, and howled like an animal as his seniors carried him away. _It's killing me, Maki-chan._ I'm standing right in front of you, radiant and victorious, but you won't even look at me."

Yuusuke's eyes flickered, then trailed from Yasutomo's bruised shoulders to the blood-crusted tips of his nails. He clicked his tongue.

"Sorry, Toudou. Making second place without a scratch is impressive, but this guy just gave everything he had to get Sohoku into the top five," he brushed Yasutomo's tufts to one side. "He's my hero in broken armor. I couldn't look away from him if I tried, sho."

Toudou's eyes fell to the ground.

"Maki-chan… I have a confession to make," he continued, shoulders rigged. "Arakita was right. Our seniors never intended to pull him further than the mountains. When they realized he kept up with us, they forced him to take the sprinter checkpoint, and were going to break away the moment Arakita dropped in exhaustion, but he saw right through it and kept on sprinting, even once he turned into.. into _this._ It was, impressive. You can tell he's an aspiring ace."

Yuusuke burst into bitter laughter.

" _This guy?_ He's an ace alright, an ace _assistant,_ sho. You know why Yasutomo came here? He just wanted to help Kinjou win, then cross the finish line with me by his side, and when he realized he couldn't do either, he almost called it quits, sho."

Toudou stared at him dumbfounded. Yuusuke sighed.

"He's too nice.. Yasutomo.."

" _Maki-chan,"_ Toudou put his foot down, "Arakita almost punched Fuku and then kicked one of your seniors to the ground."

"…Your point, sho?"

"He's a _menace!"_

"A _nice_ menace, sho. That's the thing, Toudou, Yasutomo's a guy who can do both, sho."

"I give up, Maki-chan! You're _both_ weird!"

"Yeah," laughed Yuusuke. "We are, sho."

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

As per the original, Hakone Academy took first, second, and third place, Nara Sanri Academy took fourth, and Machimiya Eikichi took fifth place. They caught up while Hakone Academy was fighting Yasutomo, and broke away together. A few others followed, but nobody dared pass bleeding, howling Yasutomo on the way to the finish line, because whenever there was a turn, he momentarily lost the barrier and swerved into the open road, startling others into staying away.

Yasutomo's tragic finish was a traumatic experience for Yaniguchi and especially Koga, who had to get close to retrieve Yasutomo's road racer. At that moment, he finally understood what Yasutomo meant by the two of them being exactly alike, and his guilt increased tenfold over bringing bad luck on the entire team when his senior was only trying to protect him from having to wreck himself as the team's reserve ace. The first-years then had another shock when Yasutomo stood up on his own, and for a moment, they both thought the same thing: that Arakita Yasutomo wasn't human.

Shiraiwa only intervened to save Yasutomo from disqualification. He then guarded his injured, catatonic junior until the others returned, during which time he lectured Yasutomo for trying to start a fight, then rambled bitterly about how terrible this Inter-high turned out to be, and finally thanked Yasutomo for sparing Koga from all this, and doing his best for Sohoku despite everything. Yasutomo hummed at his words, but didn't process them at all, and Shiraiwa never told anyone else out of shame.

Teshima later talked to Koga and said, "You once called Arakita-san weak and unfortunate, but you were wrong, Kimitaka. He's strong and extremely lucky. No one else would have survived that, not even you." Unable to refute this, Koga apologized and made up with Teshima. He later helped Kanzaki Tooji restore and upgrade Yasutomo's Bianche as a reward for sixth place, and Koga accompanied him when they eventually delivered it to Yasutomo in Yokohama.


	5. V

"So that's how Arakita-san's jersey became like this…" Onoda's hands trembled over the casing. Yuusuke hummed.

"We didn't realize at first, but we saw the marks Arakita left on his way to the goal," Jin shook his head. "His blood was everywhere."

" _Cycle Time_ actually published pictures of it, sho," Yuusuke uncovered the last secret of the packet, a copy of the summer issue. It split open at the article about the Inter-high, where photographs of the blood-streaked barrier and a fallen Yasutomo crowded a series dedicated to Hakone Academy's top three aces.

Onoda took it and cleared his throat.

* * *

" _Tragedy at the Tournament,"_ he read the abstract aloud, features tense. _"Hakone Academy reigns victorious once again, but when it comes to the thrill of the final stretch, their professional finish was overshadowed by the blood-curdling death ride of Sohoku High School's dark horse, contestant Arakita Yasutomo, known as the Daredevil for his spectacularly reckless assist at last year's Nagatoroyama Hill Climb…"_

"Told you, sho."

Naruko turned the page, then winced at a photo of his contorted, screaming senior being carried away by the third-years, their composition echoing a tragic renaissance painting.

" _Reporters,"_ scoffed Jin. "They're only after one thing."

* * *

"What about Kinjou-san and Fukutomi-san?" asked Onoda.

"They were only mentioned in passing, sho," replied Yuuuske. "The official version is that our ace injured himself and it drove his devout assistant mad with grief, so he lashed out at Fukutomi on a whim. _Keh!_ Honestly, the way Hakogaku covered it up makes me want to tear my hair out, but it's hilarious how Yasutomo ended up stealing their spotlight, sho. The article is mostly about his final ride, and how Hakone Academy won by the by, sho."

" _Maaan,_ Hakogaku must've been _pissed!"_ squealed Naruko.

"Everyone except Toudou and Fukutomi, sho..!"

* * *

" _Maki-chan… I apologize," said Toudou. "Arakita might have been harsh, but I realize now that we had driven him into a corner, and he still risked everything for you. I gained newfound respect for him… This is embarrassing, but may I shake his hand?"_

" _Sure, sho."_

 _Toudou took Yasutomo's right hand. He stirred._

" _You're not Yuusuke.. Who the_ hell _are you…" he muttered. Toudou gaped, but Yuusuke snorted and reached out to switch with him, glancing to Toudou as Yasutomo's face brightened at his touch._

"Yuusuke.. my Yuusuke…" _he purred through his haze._

 _Toudou shook his head in warm exasperation._

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

On the last day of the term, Yasutomo thanked his followers for all the good luck charms they put on his Bianche, then told them to check out the summer edition of Cycle Time, because he just might be in it. Ironically, he was right, except instead of being featured as a member of the winning team, he was showcased as a bleeding mess. His followers were still incredibly impressed, though, and convinced their good luck charms protected the Youkai's mortal body from serious harm.

Toudou stayed at the Sohoku tent for a while longer to keep Maki-chan (and Yasutomo) company. In the end, he still maintained that Yasutomo lacked good looks and manners overall, but after listening to his affectionate (albeit drug-induced) ramblings, and watching Yuusuke's tender reactions to them, Toudou never questioned Maki-chan's choices again.

The last chapter of this companion piece will be bonus content, because I decided it was not enough to just hint at all the things Yasutomo said in his stupor while Toudou was there. If you want, once everything has been published, you can jump to the chapter titled "Extra" and read it, then jump back to Chapter VI, or simply wait until you reach the end to read about his delusional antics. Part of it was inspired by zenonaa's comment on one of my fics, so I'd like to thank her here!


	6. VI

Eventually, Toudou returned to his team, leaving Yuusuke to tend to his rambling, amorous hero at his leisure, at least until the entrance of the tent rustled as Teshima poked his head inside.

"Makishima-san?" he called out, Aoyagi peering over his shoulder. "Shiraiwa-san is asking for you."

Yuusuke's eyes flitted from the messengers to Yasutomo. Teshima stepped inside.

"We'll watch Arakita-san while you're gone," he walked over with Aoyagi in tow. Yuusuke sighed.

"Thanks, sho," he released Yasutomo's hand, flinching as the other grabbed his wrist.

" _Yuusukeee…_ you _promised_ you'd hold my hand until I'm dead.." he whined. Yuusuke flushed crimson.

"I'll be back soon, sho," he pulled away, eyes averted from his juniors' inquisitive glances. "Stay alive until then, okay?"

"Okay…"

Yuusuke turned to them next, his face unreadable.

"He's delirious, so ignore everything he says, _understand?"_ he glared them down. They swallowed. "Make sure he stays down. Good luck, sho."

With that, Yuusuke whirled around and fled. On the stretcher, Yasutomo made a futile swipe at the air, then heaved a heartbroken sigh.

"Can you believe this guy..? We've been married for _ten minutes_ and he leaves me… That's it. Help me up.. I'm gonna burn _everything."_

Teshima and Aoyagi exchanged nervous glances.

Outside, Yuusuke joined Shiraiwa and Jin.

"Makishima, you're needed at the awards ceremony," Shiraiwa told him. "Arakita won a green tag, and a teammate has to accept it in his place."

Yuusuke's features darkened.

"Why don't _you_ accept it, Tadokorocchi?" he turned to his friend. "It's a sprinter award, sho.."

"No, Makishima…" Jin lowered his eyes. "No matter how much I want a green sprinter tag, I won't settle for someone else's. I will only accept one that I've won with my own strength. You should go, Makishima. I'm sure Arakita would want it to be you."

"And I'm sure he would rather we didn't bother at all, sho," Yuusuke shook his head.

"But _why?_ It's the _fastest sprinter award!"_ pleaded Jin.

"Because he didn't want it, sho," Yuusuke's hands clenched by his thighs. "Hakone Academy thought he posed a risk to them, so they forced Yasutomo to take that checkpoint so they could leave him behind once he had exhausted himself, sho. It was meant to be the end of his ride when he was Sohoku's last hope of winning. Would you be satisfied with something like that, Tadokorocchi?"

"An award is an award, Makishima," interrupted Shiraiwa, who clearly wouldn't take no for an answer. Yuusuke sighed.

"Well… I suppose he might like the bouquet, sho."

"That's better," Shiraiwa tapped his arm. "Now go to the podium, they're expecting you, and for god's sake, please try to look presentable, Makishima! What's that thing on your hand?"

Yuusuke flinched as he remembered the plastic straw Yasutomo managed to tie into a knot over his fingers as a makeshift engagement ring. He pulled it off and sank it into his jersey's pocket.

" _It's nothing, sho,"_ he took off in a hurry. Jin shook his head fondly.

* * *

When the time finally arrived, Yuusuke accepted Yasutomo's award and complementary bouquet with a good grace. He only allowed himself a bitter smile at Hakone Academy's unanimous applause, and upon his return to Sohoku's tent, he passed the green tags to Jin for safekeeping, then walked over to Yasutomo's stretcher, where Teshima and Aoyagi greeted him in obvious relief.

" _Yuusuke…_ look how the kids have grown…" Yasutomo gestured to them, then promptly lost his train of hazy thought at the sight of the bouquet. "Aww, you brought me flowers…"

"That's right.. Here, sho…" Yuusuke handed it over with burning cheeks as Teshima and Aoyagi slipped away. Yasutomo smelled it with a contented smile.

"Now it's a proper wedding…" he lurched upward, and before Yuusuke could stop him, Yasutomo wound up and cried, _"Oi!_ _I'm throwing the bouquet..!"_

Teshima and Aoyagi stopped to look, and a moment later, the bouquet slammed into the latter's face and knocked him off his feet.

"I caught the bouquet.. _Junta…"_ Aoyagi twitched on the ground.

" _ **Aoyagiii!"**_ screamed Teshima as Yasutomo seized up and collapsed into Yuusuke's arms, unconscious at long last.

He slept for two days, then woke up at Yokohama General Hospital, with no recollection of anything that had transpired during his drug-induced stupor. The more Yasutomo grasped at the broken strands of his memories, the more they scattered, till nothing remained but a crushing emptiness in his chest and a pool of lead in his stomach as time looped backwards in sickening déja vu. He had failed everyone. He couldn't even avenge Kinjou, and if Yuusuke wouldn't forgive a coward, a horrible, lousy brute didn't stand a chance.

Yasutomo had five missed calls from him, but he ignored them until he was released from the hospital into the confines of his room, where loneliness gnawed at his heart far worse than fear.

He started with a simple text. _I'm sorry for everything._

The phone rang so fast, he nearly dropped it.

"Yuusuke.."

"Yasutomo! _What happened?_ It's been _four days,_ sho! Are you alright?!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm.. I'm home now. Listen, Yuusuke… I'm sorry. Toudou was right. You deserve better, and I just wanna say… I hope you don't hate me, and we can still be friends."

"… _What are you talking about?_ When did he say that, sho?"

"The third morning."

"What about after that, sho?"

"I… don't know."

"You don't remember..?"

"I remember getting ambushed by Shiraiwa, and then I woke up in Yokohama."

" _Oh god…"_

"What? _What?"_

"You don't remember anything? Are you _serious,_ sho?"

"I'm serious! _Why?_ Did I do something even worse than disappointing everyone?!"

Yuusuke's eyes fell to the plastic straw ring on his palm.

"No… you were, wonderful, actually…"

"Wait, so you don't hate me..?"

"I _love_ you! _I'm proud of you!_ You seriously don't remember, sho?!"

"No…"

"…Maybe it's for the best, sho."

" _Yuusuke,_ you're worrying me! What did I do?!"

"Do you have time to talk, sho?"

"I do."

"Then brace yourself, because you were _wild,_ sho."

* * *

They talked for two hours, and Yasutomo finally laughed more than he apologized, blushed more than he blanched, and seemed almost whole again for a while, until Yuusuke promised their next Inter-high would be different, and the illusion popped like a soap bubble. Yasutomo said goodbye shortly afterwards, and unwilling to push, Yuusuke let him be.

They talked very little after that, and the subject was only revived at the start of the next term, when Yasutomo finally visited the clubroom, and found himself staring down a counter laden with Inter-high memorabilia, including their colored tags, now framed, and his and Kinjou's vacuum-sealed jerseys.

"What's this?" he stepped closer, expression unreadable.

"The shrine of resolve," replied Jin.

"The seniors put it together, to inspire us to keep fighting, sho," added Yuusuke.

"Ah. How nice," Yasutomo's eyes fell to a plaque with messages from the third-years. "Mind if I make a small adjustment?"

"Go ahead, sho," Yuusuke nodded with a hopeful smile, but he couldn't catch Yasutomo's eye, who snatched up the jerseys, his tags, and an open copy of _Cycle Time,_ and dumped them into the trash bin.

"Good riddance to this garbage," he said, his empty hands clenching into fists by his sides. "I'm going for a ride. Later."

He then left the clubroom without another glance. The others froze, speechless and pale, but after a moment, Yuusuke kneeled down and scooped the discarded relics into his arms. Jin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He just needs more time, that's all," he said at last, unsure if he believed it himself.

"I should probably hide these somewhere," sighed Yuusuke. "I knew he'd get upset, sho…"

"I can't believe you were right about the green tags," muttered Jin. "How long have I been dreaming of these things, and he tossed them out like they were nothing!"

Yuusuke shook his head.

"To you, these tags would have been a badge of honor, Tadokorocchi, but to Yasutomo, they were just a bone thrown by Hakone Academy. If they hadn't been framed, he might have ripped them up, sho."

"Ripped up a _fastest sprinter award?!"_ wailed Jin. "Madness, _absolute madness!"_

Yuusuke rolled his eyes.

By evening, he bound the forbidden articles in black plastic wrap, and stashed the packet in the hollow behind the clubroom poster. With that, the subject seemed closed for good… until two weeks later, they received a call from Toudou, to the effect that Fukutomi Juichi was on his way to Chiba.

"You have to stop him, Maki-chan!" he pleaded even as Yuusuke's phone exchanged hands.

" _Yo, Toudou,"_ Yasutomo took over. "What's up. Uh huh… Yeah.. _Yeah…_ It's unfortunate, but we're counting on you. You'll be captain now, so pick a new vice-captain, and we'll send back the remains in a cardboard box. Look forward to it.. _Later."_

He pressed _End Call_ and muted the phone. Yuusuke and Jin stared at him dumbstruck.

"You two should leave now," Yasutomo cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna finish what I started."

* * *

Five minutes later, Kinjou walked in on a heated debate over the desirability and consequences of homicide, which died an abrupt death when his friends finally realized that Fukutomi had followed him inside. The new arrivals then watched in growing discomfort as Yuusuke flung himself onto Yasutomo to restrain him, and Yasutomo repeatedly asked to be released, his tone unnaturally calm. Yuusuke refused to comply. The captive sighed.

"You're lucky I'd never hurt Yuusuke, or I would've killed you by now," he told Fukutomi, who hummed in acknowledgement.

"What do you want?" asked Kinjou. Fukutomi bowed down.

"I came to formally apologize, and to talk to you."

"Then talk to me while we ride," was Kinjou's answer.

"Oh _yeah?_ Then I'm coming, too!" Yasutomo squirmed in Yuusuke's hold, but Yuusuke only hugged him tighter.

"Please stay put, sho!"

" _He may come along,"_ Kinjou and Fukutomi said in unison. Yuusuke gurgled.

"You lose, lover…" Yasutomo whispered in his ear. Yuusuke disentangled from him with a glare.

"You'd better behave, sho!"

"No promises."

The three of them soon stocked up on water bottles and took off, Yasutomo riding between them as if shielding Kinjou.

"Well, what do you want?" he squinted. Fukutomi stopped. The others did, too.

"Kinjou.. I… I have a favor to ask. Will you race me again at the next Inter-high?"

Yasutomo bared his teeth. Fukutomi persevered.

"I am thankful to you both. You taught me a lesson I will never forget. _Kinjou.._ You showed me how weak I am, and how I must overcome that and become stronger, or I cannot call myself an ace. And Arakita.. you taught me to value the support of my teammates. To beat Kinjou, and for Hakone Academy to win next year, we will not rest until we produce an assistant of your caliber."

Yasutomo stared at him bewildered, then gave a strangled sound as his complexion went up in flames.

" _ **Haaah?!**_ _What the hell was that?_ Are you trying to be chummy?! I'll kick you thirty feet in the air, you stone-faced jerk!"

"He's flattered," interpreted Kinjou.

" _ **SHUDDUP! You can't buy me!"**_ screeched Yasutomo. "You think nice words will win me over,huh?!"

"I'm serious," replied Fukutomi.

" _Tch!_ As if you have any other mode, you bottle blond robot!" Yasutomo jabbed him in the chest. "What you running on, huh? The rest of the bleach?"

"How did you.." muttered Fukutomi. Yasutomo barked a laugh.

" _Your goddamn eyebrows,_ that's how! What were you thinking? You could learn a thing or two from Yuusuke, who had the common decency to dye his eyebrows!"

"Makishima is anything but common," Kinjou flashed a sly smile.

" _You're right,"_ Yasutomo took the bait. "Yuusuke's ultra rare! You hear me, _blondie?_ You can't even reach Yuusuke's feet!"

"Toudou speaks of him very highly," conceded Fukutomi. Yasutomo scoffed.

"I'll speak of him _even higher!"_

"That would be nice, Arakita," said Kinjou, then watched in amusement as comprehension dawned on Yasutomo, who scratched his neck and fell into awkward silence.

* * *

"Kinjou…" Fukutomi spoke again. "I know I'm being selfish. If we ended up riding neck and neck next year, and you told me to let you win, I would not refuse. I know I'd deserve it. But in order to atone for my actions, and to become stronger, I want to fight you fair and square, and win."

Yasutomo gave him a revolted look, but Kinjou's lips curled upward.

"Don't worry, Fukutomi. If we end up in the same situation again, I won't lose. I want to become stronger, too. And like you said, I have an excellent assistant."

Yasutomo choked.

" _Stop buttering me up, dammit!"_ he whipped his head away. "I never said I'd do it again! The Inter-high scarred me for life! _Literally!"_ he gestured to the marbled patterns of his left arm.

"A small price to pay for being a hero, Arakita," smiled Kinjou. Yasutomo's lips quivered. "Makishima called that evening, and told me he'd give anything for you to have a great Inter-high next year."

Yasutomo flushed pink. Kinjou gave him a look.

"He's waiting for you, Arakita. How long are you going to keep mourning your losses, when you could be moving forward together?"

Yasutomo's face scrunched up, but in the end, he broke into laughter.

"You're right, Kinjou..!" he threw his hands in the air. "Who am I kidding? I _hate_ moping!"

"Will you race me, then?" asked Fukutomi. Yasutomo huffed.

"You're _damn right_ we will! And you won't stand a chance, blondie! By the time you find an assistant, I'll get even stronger! You're gonna be staring at our asses _the whole way!"_

Despite himself, Fukutomi smiled.

They soon parted ways, no longer enemies but respected opponents, and when Yasutomo and Kinjou returned, Yuusuke and Jin rushed forward to meet them.

"Is everything alright, sho?" Yuusuke furrowed his brow, then blinked as Yasutomo threw his arms around him, squeezing tighter than he had in ages.

" _Yuusuke…_ everything's fine…" he purred, his grin growing wider as the other hugged back, shoulders quaking. Yasutomo caressed his hair. "Did you miss me..? _Huuuh?"_

Yuusuke drew back just enough to slip his hands onto Yasutomo's cheeks, his smile lapsing into a grimace as his fingers clamped onto the corners of Yasutomo's lips.

" _Took you long enough to stop moping, didn't it, sho?"_ he pinched and tugged every which way, his playful tone on edge. "You shrug me off for six weeks, but one ride with Fukutomi and you're suddenly _fine,_ sho? Are you a _Fukutomi boy_ now, _is that what you are, sho?!"_

" _Wuufukeh, wou'r hurthin meeh..!"_

" _ **Serves you right, sho!"**_

"Isn't true love great, Kinjou?" quipped Jin. Kinjou smothered his grin.

"Makishima, go easy on our new vice-captain."

Yuusuke's fingers froze in place. Yasutomo stared back in shock.

"I am now confident Arakita's the right choice. I'll make the announcement tomorrow."

" _Wou shust wahha piff off Shihaiwah.."_ mumbled Yasutomo, then fell silent as Yuusuke grabbed his jaws and kissed him. Finally, everything was fine… absolutely _everything._

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

Even in his haze, Yasutomo recognized Teshima and Aoyagi as his kids, so naturally he told them the Stupor Version of how he had met their "father," and so confirmed that he and Yuusuke were dating. His juniors then had to endure another talk as Yuusuke swore them to secrecy, and corrected all the details Yasutomo had added or exaggerated. For their silence, they were allowed to take pictures of themselves with Yasutomo's bouquet and green sprinter tags.

That evening, Yuusuke tried to call Yasutomo, but Kinjou was the one who answered the phone. They were still in the ambulance bound for Yokohama General Hospital (where Kinjou was to be transferred to another ambulance that would take him to Chiba), and though Yasutomo was unconscious, Kinjou held out the phone to his ear so Yuusuke could talk to him. Yasutomo remained unresponsive, but Kinjou told Yuusuke that his words must have reached him deep down.

During his hospital stay, Yasutomo received fruit baskets, health recovery charms, and even a few visits from his followers, who received word of his condition by tracking the Inter-high's online feed. Thanks to them, Yasutomo ended up with so much fruit that he didn't know what to do with it, so on a whim, he called the nurses, and they hauled the baskets over to the children's ward so the kids could have them. Yasutomo ended up going back because the kids wanted to know what had happened to him, and gave away most of his health recovery charms to them. The next day, several kids were released earlier than expected, and one kid's removed tonsils grew back completely healthy.

When Fukutomi returned to Hakone Academy in one piece, Toudou hugged him with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm so glad you're alive, Fuku! I was going to pick Shinkai, but it wouldn't have been the same!" Not knowing what to do with this information, Fukutomi thanked him and went off to eat dinner.


	7. VII

"Fukutomi-san came over to apologize?" mumbled Onoda.

"All the way from Hakone?" blurted Naruko.

"And he even brought us steamed buns," grinned Jin.

"That's worth points to you?!" snapped Naruko. Jin huffed.

"But why did he only visit you in September, Makishima-san..?"

"While his seniors were still in charge, Fukutomi's hands were tied, sho," explained Yuusuke. "They didn't even let him see Kinjou at the hospital, so they could pretend Hakone Academy had nothing to do with him. Once they retired and Fukutomi became captain, though, he came over the very next day, sho."

"That's so nice…" Onoda's shoulders relaxed.

* * *

"There's something I don't get, though," Naruko folded his arms. "It all ended well, right? Captain Shades agreed to race Fukutomi-san, and Arakita-san became vice-captain, and you even kissed and made up, so why are we having a secret meeting behind their backs, then?"

"Because Kinjou has healed, but Yasutomo's still not over everything that happened, sho," Yuusuke's smile faltered. "He's worked through most of his guilt, and he's been training harder than anyone so we would win this year, but unlike us, his dreams are more complicated, sho."

"What do you mean, Makishima-san?" Onoda furrowed his brow. Yuusuke sighed.

* * *

"Remember our dreams from last year, sho?" he began, his expression distant. "Finishing first, green sprinter tags, taking the peak… the three of us tend to set goals that center around _us,_ and if we can't make it, we only have ourselves to blame because we weren't strong enough, sho. But Yasutomo doesn't work that way. He's an assistant to the core, so his dreams revolve around others. To take our ace to the finish line, and then cross it with me.. he can only do that if we survive. He needs us as much as we need him, sho."

* * *

Onoda and Naruko exchanged glances. Jin arched his head.

"Kinjou and Arakita are more eager to win than anyone else. Last year, they suffered and lost. Sohoku might have placed higher than before, but to fall just short of the podium was more frustrating than if we had fallen behind. But because of that, they now know the terror of defeat, and hunger for victory like no one else."

He paused. Onoda and Naruko stared at him mesmerized.

"We'd better make sure their dreams come true this year," concluded Jin, and when the first-years nodded gravely, their seniors finally smiled.

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

For being such good sports, Yuusuke took out his love token collection and showed Onoda and Naruko his straw engagement ring from the Inter-high. Naruko thought it was kinda weird, and Jin couldn't refrain from muttering "gross couple" under his breath, but Onoda had "relationship goals" written all over his face.

After their visit, the first-years couldn't stop staring at Yasutomo's arms for a while. His second-degree burns healed well and faded with time, but up close, they noticed he had faint zig-zag patterns from his shoulder down to his elbow. Onoda and Naruko later told Sugimoto, who was shocked he didn't spot the scars sooner, being an excellent observer and all. I don't know what Onoda and Naruko expected to hear from him.


	8. Extra

**ARAKITA:** _Yowamushi Pedal_ was created by Watanabe Wataru.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Drama CD, _More Tales from The Road Racing Club,_ sho.

 **TOUDOU:** Volume Six: "Arakita's Stupor."

* * *

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke… my Yuusuke…_

 **TOUDOU:** You're kidding me… but his eyes were covered! Did he recognize you by _touch?_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Why wouldn't he? We hold hands all the time, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** Still, to recognize you in this state… I'm impressed.

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Sho?

 **ARAKITA:** My arms feel funny..

 **MAKISHIMA:** Do they hurt, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah, but.. I think it's the ants.

 **MAKISHIMA:** ..Ants?

 **ARAKITA:** I can feel them. They're everywhere. I think they're eating my arms..

 **MAKISHIMA:** There are no ants here, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. can you take my arms off until the ants are gone..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** I can't, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Why not..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** Your arms aren't detachable, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Damn it…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** You're so out of it, sho…

 **TOUDOU:** He struggled so much the medical team had to sedate him. He was really scary, Maki-chan!

 **MAKISHIMA:** I know I'll regret asking this, but _what happened to him,_ sho?

 **TOUDOU:** After he finished? Or during the race?

 **MAKISHIMA:** Just start from the beginning, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. I think my mom's here.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Um…

 **ARAKITA:** I heard her.

 **TOUDOU:** There's nobody else here but me, Arakita.

 **ARAKITA:** _Mom._ Mom, listen..

 **TOUDOU:** I'm not your mother!

 **ARAKITA:** Stop disowning me, dammit! Now, Mom.. _Mom,_ I need you to find, and wash Bian…

 **TOUDOU:** _What?_

 **ARAKITA:** I need you to wash Bian..

 **MAKISHIMA:** Bian is his road racer, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** You need to wash Bian, on delicate setting… at thirty degrees centipede.

 **TOUDOU:** Celsius?

 **ARAKITA:** _Mom.._ I need you to wash Bian.

 **TOUDOU:** Yes, yes, _I heard you!_

 **ARAKITA:** Oh, good. Wash Bian.. I got blood on her.. gotta get the blood out…

 **MAKISHIMA:** He got blood on his road racer, sho?

 **TOUDOU:** Probably… D-Don't worry, Maki-chan, bloodstains can be removed with cold water!

 **ARAKITA:** Good point… Mom? Mom, make that.. _minus_ thirty degrees centipede.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Celsius, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Bless you..

 **TOUDOU:** This is ridiculous! How can you keep so calm when he's talking nonsense, Maki-chan?!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Honestly, I'm just glad he's able to talk at all, sho! Sure, it's all nonsense, but what do you expect if he's been sedated? Let him say what he wants, it's not like he can do much else, sho..!

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Sho?

 **TOUDOU:** Arakita? Why are you pointing at your face?

 **MAKISHIMA:** I think he wants a kiss, sho.

 **MAKISHIMA:** [kisses ARAKITA] There you go, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** And one more for the road..

 **MAKISHIMA:** [kisses ARAKITA again] For the road, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah.. I gotta go.

 **MAKISHIMA:** You need to rest, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** No.. I gotta go and kill everyone at.. Hakoshima, Academy.

 **TOUDOU:** Oh god, there he goes again. He almost punched Fuku, you know!

 **MAKISHIMA:** You're going to kill everyone at "Hakoshima Academy," sho.

 **TOUDOU:** _Don't ignore me!_

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah.. Hakoshima.. Academy. I'm gonna kill everyone.. except the hairband.

 **TOUDOU:** _Hairband?_ I have a name, you know! What's my name, Arakita?

 **ARAKITA:** Mom..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** What's my rival's name, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** …Totty.

 **TOUDOU:** _TOTTY?!_

 **ARAKITA:** It's short for, Todomatsuno..

 **TOUDOU:** That's not evenclose!

 **MAKISHIMA:** I don't know, it sounds similar, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Toudou.. Totty.. Shinpachi.

 **TOUDOU:** _Just STOP!_ I can't believe I'm saying this, but I preferred Hairband!

 **ARAKITA:** I gotta go.. Help me up.

 **MAKISHIMA:** _No,_ you have to _rest,_ sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke.._ if you don't help me up _right now.._ I'm gonna set this place on _fire._ I'm gonna burn _everything._

 **MAKISHIMA:** Even me, sho..?

 **ARAKITA:** _No…!_ _No, no,_ I'm gonna burn everything _except you,_ cause I _love you…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** I love you too, but you can't set this place on fire, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Why not..?!

 **MAKISHIMA:** It's not flammable, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Damn it…_

 **TOUDOU:** Why are you smiling, Maki-chan?! He just threatened to commit arson! You're way too calm about this, it's creepy!

 **MAKISHIMA:** You can leave if he's too much for you, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** N-No, it's fine, Maki-chan.. I still need to tell you what happened, anyway. Remember what I said about our seniors forcing Arakita to take the sprinter checkpoint?

 **MAKISHIMA:** Yeah?

 **TOUDOU:** Originally, one of our sprinters was going to take the checkpoint once we had lost Arakita in the mountains, but when they realized he had kept up with us, they made him take the checkpoint to exhaust him for good.

 **ARAKITA:** They were gonna kill me, Yuusuke… I told you it was all a trap..

 **MAKISHIMA:** You did, sho…

 **ARAKITA:** You thought I was just being mean.. that hurt…

 **MAKISHIMA:** I'm sorry, sho..

 **TOUDOU:** I swear that wasn't my intention when I made him that offer, Maki-chan. Fuku suggested he should join our train to compensate for what he did to your ace…

 **ARAKITA:** I gotta go.. and kill the stone-faced jerk.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Stay for a minute, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Okay…

 **TOUDOU:** As I was saying, it was a peace offering, and we didn't think we'd be in any danger. There was no way Arakita was going to beat an entire team—

 **ARAKITA:** Excuse _you,_ I _beat you._ Kinjou said so.

 **TOUDOU:** I'm sorry, what?

 **MAKISHIMA:** What did Kinjou say, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** He said it didn't matter, 'cause when he passed me, he knew I had beaten him anyway…

 **TOUDOU:** Oh no.. I think he's slipping, Maki-chan…

 **MAKISHIMA:** He might be talking about something else, sho. Yasutomo, when did Kinjou pass you?

 **ARAKITA:** At the Namamomoyama Hill Climb…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Our first race, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah… _heh.._ I worked real hard, didn't I, Yuusuke…

 **MAKISHIMA:** You did, sho… There, see, Toudou? You just have to ask the right thing, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** If you say so, Maki-chan… Anyway, our seniors were wary of letting an opponent ride with us, and I suppose it was also a matter of pride. I'm sure their real intention was to exhaust Arakita, but since they had to give up the checkpoint for this, they wanted to make it look like he had won fair and square after giving his all.

 **ARAKITA:** I gave everything… my sweat and blood.. poured it _all_ over the course..

 **TOUDOU:** I'm getting to that! So he passed the checkpoint, and instead of resting, he pulled to the side and started sprinting along the railing! I've never seen anything like it! He was like a human pachinko ball, Maki-chan!

 **ARAKITA:** That's Todoroki.

 **TOUDOU:** Pardon?

 **ARAKITA:** Todoroki.. is the Romping Human Pachinko Ball.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Tadokorocchi is the Rampaging Human Cannon Ball,sho.

 **TOUDOU:** But _you_ could be the Romping Human Pachinko Ball, Arakita!

 **ARAKITA:** No, I can't… 'cause I already got a nickname. I am.. the _Youkai._

 **MAKISHIMA:** You're the _Daredevil,_ sho!

 **TOUDOU:** The _Daredevil?_

 **MAKISHIMA:** The Daredevil of Sohoku. You never heard of him?

 **TOUDOU:** Can't say that I have, Maki-chan! Hmm… The Daredevil of Sohoku! _Hahahaha!_ It doesn't sound as elegant as _Mountain God_ or _Sleeping Beauty,_ but we can't all be winners!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Way to make this about yourself, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** Sorry, Maki-chan! Force of habit..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** Keh!

 **TOUDOU:** Let's get back to my story, okay? So Arakita was riding along the railing, and then we entered the final climb, and you know what he did, Maki-chan? He took his last water bottle, and he threw it away when it was still full!

 **MAKISHIMA:** How do you know it was full, sho?

 **TOUDOU:** He threw it so hard, it burst open on the ground! If your seniors hadn't stopped him, he might have broken Fuku's jaw with that arm! What was he in his previous life, a boxer? A pitcher?

 **ARAKITA:** Shut up, _shut up,_ _**shuddup, SHUDDUP!**_

 **TOUDOU:** What the— what's wrong now?!

 **ARAKITA:** You are _slandering..!_ It's all slander 'cause I never, I hate baseball with every inch of my being, so I never played ever, in my life.

 **MAKISHIMA:** He was an ace pitcher until he broke his elbow in middle school, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _**God dammit, Yuusuke..!**_

 **MAKISHIMA:** It's a sensitive topic, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** You've done it now.. now I gotta kill everyone in here so no one else finds out…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Even me, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** _Nooo,_ I'm not gonna kill you. I _love_ you…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Who are you going to kill then, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** Who else is here..?

 **TOUDOU:** I swear I won't tell anyone.

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. help me up.

 **TOUDOU:** Just stay where you are and hear me out! As I was saying, there was that stunt with the water bottle—

 **ARAKITA:** He's _lying,_ Yuusuke! I'm gonna _kill_ him..!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Please don't mention the water bottle thing again, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** Alright, alright, _jeez!_ So Arakita started sprint-climbing, but he used this really weird form! He switched to his lower handlebars and he was leaning forward too much, and he was standing, but sort of propped on the tip of his saddle? Nobody at Hakone Academy climbs like that, I think. Anyway, you can only do that for so long on a climb before you run out of steam, so by the time we passed him, he was riding blindly and his nose started bleeding.

 **ARAKITA:** It was so annoying.. I couldn't see a thing…

 **TOUDOU:** He kept going though, and managed to follow us by riding along the barrier. He pressed against it so he wouldn't lose his way, and when the road started winding, he kept slamming into the barrier to find it again. It was horrible, Maki-chan. We were honestly worried he was going to break something.

 **MAKISHIMA:** _Yasutomo…_

 **TOUDOU:** That was bad enough, but then he fell, just after the goal. You know how the goalposts stick out onto the road, Maki-chan? Because he couldn't see it, Arakita hit the left one and crashed into the opposite barrier. That's when he hurt his legs and his other arm. We were honestly amazed he managed to stand up on his own after that fall.

 **MAKISHIMA:** _Yasutomo…!_ We should take him to the hospital, he might need surgery, sho! I'll have staff call an ambulance!

 **TOUDOU:** _Wait, Maki-chan!_ He'll be fine! The medical team examined him, and they said he didn't break anything! …M-Maki-chan?! What's wrong now?!

 **MAKISHIMA:** [sniffling] It just, doesn't make any sense, sho… _One_ measly elbow injury and his entire baseball career went down the drain, but now that he's riding, he's unbreakable! How does that even work, sho?!

 **TOUDOU:** Maybe the gods blessed him with extremely good luck, to compensate for his lack of good looks and manners, Maki-chan!

 **ARAKITA:** Did you just call me an _ugly jerk..?_

 **TOUDOU:** N-No, I'd never—

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. help me up.

 **TOUDOU:** We were just talking about how lucky you are! Please stay down!

 **ARAKITA:** I'm gonna kill him…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Please don't, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Why not?_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Because then you'd go to jail, sho.

 **TOUDOU:** _That's your reason?!_

 **ARAKITA:** That's okay… I'm gonna die soon anyway…

 **MAKISHIMA:** You're not going to die, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Why not?!_

 **MAKISHIMA:** You suck at dying, remember?

 **ARAKITA:** _Damn it..!_

 **TOUDOU:** He sucks at dying..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** He's still alive, isn't he?

 **TOUDOU:** Fair enough.

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Sho?

 **ARAKITA:** I'm gonna die soon, so hold my hand, okay..? I swear you can let go when I'm dead..

 **MAKISHIMA:** Alright, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. I did okay, didn't I..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** You were fantastic, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** I worked so hard for you…

 **MAKISHIMA:** You did.. You're my _hero,_ sho…

 **TOUDOU:** Maki-chan, why are you crying?!

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke…_ marry me.

 **MAKISHIMA:** _**Sho?!**_

 **ARAKITA:** Marry me, Yuusuke.. I'm gonna die soon, and I wanna die your husband.

 **TOUDOU:** _Oh my god._

 **MAKISHIMA:** That's.. really sweet, sho…

 **TOUDOU:** Maki-chan, _stop crying!_ He's not going to die!

 **ARAKITA:** _Yuusuke…_ if you marry me, you can inherit my property… I'm gonna leave everything to you, Yuusuke..

 **TOUDOU:** He owns property..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** What property, Yasutomo?

 **ARAKITA:** I'm gonna leave you.. Bian.. and everything I own, at the Sohoku dorms…

 **TOUDOU:** What exactly do you own at the Sohoku dorms, Arakita?

 **ARAKITA:** I own.. all my stuff.. my building… and fifty loyal followers. Yuusuke.. you'll be the new Youkai and inherit all my followers..

 **TOUDOU:** His building? _Followers? Youkai?!_ What is going on?!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Don't listen to him! _He's delirious, remember?_

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke.. my price list is in the closet…

 **TOUDOU:** _Price list?!_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Please stop talking, I'm begging you, sho!

 **ARAKITA:** _Rude!_ I'm trying to propose, here..! Now, are you gonna marry me or do I gotta beg, huh..?

 **TOUDOU:** Maki-chan, why are you blushing?! _He's delirious, remember?!_

 **MAKISHIMA:** _I do, sho…_

 **ARAKITA:** I now announce us husband and… husband number two.

 **TOUDOU:** That's not how it works, Arakita! You don't even have a ring or anything!

 **ARAKITA:** Oh.. you're right, Totty… hold on…

 **TOUDOU:** _Stop calling me that!_ And what are you doing with that straw? Put that down, it's been _used!_

 **ARAKITA:** Gimme your hand, Yuusuke…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Like this, sho?

 **TOUDOU:** Don't encourage him! Oh no, look, now he's— Arakita, you can't tie a straw into a ring!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Here, let me help, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Aight… aaand there we go.

 **TOUDOU:** Are you serious? You trapped his pinkie finger under there, too!

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah.

 **TOUDOU:** _Why?_

 **ARAKITA:** 'Cause that's his claw.

 **TOUDOU:** His _what?_

 **ARAKITA:** His claw.. I have a claw, and now he has a claw, so we match..

 **MAKISHIMA:** He suffered nerve damage when he broke his elbow, so he has a claw hand, sho. See how those two fingers curl up on his right hand, sho?

 **TOUDOU:** All this from an elbow injury? Incredible…

 **ARAKITA:** _Shuddup._

 **TOUDOU:** …Sorry.

 **ARAKITA:** Yuusuke… hey, _Yuusuke…_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Sho..?

 **ARAKITA:** We're married.. now I can die happy.

 **MAKISHIMA:** I'd rather you lived, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Aww.. you're just saying that cause you love me…

 **MAKISHIMA:** I do, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Aww, you _love_ me… that's embarrassing…

 **MAKISHIMA:** We're _married,_ sho.

 **ARAKITA:** _Still..!_

 **TOUDOU:** Are you serious right now, Maki-chan? You realize this wasn't an official ceremony, right?

 **MAKISHIMA:** Don't be rude, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah.. don't be rude to my husband or I'll kill ya.

 **TOUDOU:** I give up. [sighs] Well, at least you two look happy… I suppose I should go back to our tent now, but I'm glad I got to see you, Maki-chan.

 **MAKISHIMA:** Thanks for stopping by, sho. And for the Bepsi.

 **ARAKITA:** We have Bepsi..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** You want more Bepsi, sho?

 **ARAKITA:** Yeah…!

 **MAKISHIMA:** Okay, hold on, sho… I need to help you up… Oh, wait, let me take the compress off first… Here we go, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Thanks, Yuusuke.. you're a real pal… [sips loudly] Yup.. there's nothing like two guys being pals, huh..?

 **MAKISHIMA:** _Keh._ …What's with that head shake, Toudou?

 **TOUDOU:** I just… No, never mind, Maki-chan. I was just thinking how nice it is to see you so happy together. I'll leave now. Will you two be fine on your own?

 **MAKISHIMA:** I think so. Thanks again, sho.

 **ARAKITA:** Thanks for coming to our wedding, Totty…

 **TOUDOU:** Please don't call me that ever again.

 **ARAKITA:** You got to be our witness.. our best man… how do you feel.

 **TOUDOU:** I'm… I'm _honored,_ Arakita…

 **MAKISHIMA:** Why are you tearing up, sho?!

 **TOUDOU:** [sobbing] _I'm just so happy for you, Maki-chan..!_

 **MAKISHIMA:** Jeez.. you really take things too seriously, sho!

* * *

 **END NOTE:**

Again, the plastic straw engagement ring was inspired by a good friend's comment, who liked the recurring motif of the plastic straw as a symbolic gesture of love and caring. I just had to do something with that, and this is what I did! Shoutout to zenonaa on Ao3 for being a lovely reviewer and an excellent writer, too! Check her out if you like Danganronpa, her fics are wonderful!

And this is it for a while! There is still one more companion piece to go - the third-year Inter-high, of course, but I will have to rewatch the first two seasons several times to work it all out, so for now, please enjoy all of these (and the bonus chapter at the end of this story), and anything else I might put out until the "final" piece comes out. Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
